Uncharted Journeys: The Mappy Isles
by Hemlock
Summary: Robin is still under captive, while Nami looks through the maps, and realises they might be worth more than all the money she could think of... and makes a startling announcement.
1. The Isles that need no maps

Preface: One Piece© is owned by Eiichiro Oda-sensei. Hats off, Oda-sensei. The stories you spin makes me believe in writing again - This story is dedicated to X-Parrot, whose stories I read made me want to write again - Characters here are all his except for those you never seen or read anywhere; those are my own unimpressive creations - If there are similarities/resemblances to any previous characters, kind readers, please let me know - This story takes place during their long journey through the Grand Line - It tries to follow the canon as close as possible without adhering too much to it, thus, not an AU - Enjoy my first tryst (grins!) - By the way, this QuickEdit sucks, and even my html codes and word documents are stripped of its original formatting that I have to do this in situ! SOMEONE PLEASE REPAIR THE QUICKEDIT AND DOWNLOAD PROCEDURE!!!

* * *

Chapter One 

The Islands that need no maps: Robin's Strange Encounter 

* * *

"Land ho!"

Nami and Robin got out of the cabin and stepped onto the deck. There, to the east, lies a long, dark shadow. Dawn was breaking, and the morning air was nice and cool against their skins.

"Land ho, Nami!" Ussop screamed again from the main mast.

"I hear ya, Ussop!" she screamed back. She stared at the log post strapped to her wrist, then the map at her left hand. "Finally, we can restock our provisions. I can't bear eating another cake for dinner."

"I thought Sanji was rather creative in cooking the leftover flour we had. I never knew flour could taste so good in so many ways." Robin leant on the railing and sighed. "Mappy Isles. Now I remember…"

Nami turned to her. "Hm? You know anything about this island?"

Robin closed her eyes and nodded. "I had been here when I was on the run. But firstly, it's a group of islands, so the better term is isles. Secondly, it's comprised mostly of fisherman villages. You won't find villages further into the forests and mountains. Thirdly, there are a lot of maps here."

Nami frowned. "What do you mean, _lots of maps_? "

Languidly opening her eyes, Robin smiled her small, mysterious smile. "I mean what I say. There are a lot of maps in the Mappy Isles. Some of them are very old, others not so. But they're all over the place because no one has use of them. You'll find them lying around like garbage."

"But – why would they do that? Won't they use maps for fishing? How do they get around without maps?"

Again that smile. Irritated, Nami thought better not to ask further if that were the only answer Robin was willing to give. She turned and walked down the stairs, calling for Zoro to look sharp and Luffy to stop bouncing on the deck.

* * *

"Sanji-kun, aren't you going to the market?"

Thanks to Ussop's keen eye and Robin's memory, they found a tiny hidden inlet south of the only fishing wharf on the island (the fishing wharf itself lies at the south of the island) and anchored there. This location, although hidden from prying eyes, was also connected to the main bridges that spanned around the island.

It was called Suppha Island. It consisted of a small fishing village, a fishing wharf, and an onshore market. From here, the Straw Hat crew could see fishermen hauling their catch of the day off their boats toward the market, creating a noisy beeline that hummed across the wooden bridges connecting the docks and the market.

"Nami-san, of course I am if you are!" the love cook swooned all over her.

"Perfect! You'll go with Chopper while I have a look around with Ussop. Ussop?"

Sanji stared angrily at Chopper who pretended to preen his fur and adjusted his hat.

"Yes, Nami?"

"Let's go find the spare parts you need to fix the water-carrier Luffy broke the day before last – AGAIN!"

Nami shot the latter a deadly stare, to which Luffy replied with an eyes-closed grin.

"I don't think he understands the fine art of _civilised_ social interactions," Robin remarked from behind them. "Well, I'm off."

"Where do you think you're going?" Zoro asked. "I have to have these blades sharpened. They're duller than Sanji's bread knives!"

In a heartbeat the two men were ramming each other's foreheads on the gangplank, taunting each other loudly with ugly names and challenges that did not really matter to Nami. She shrugged, pulled Ussop's hand and jumped out of the ship onto the bridge.

Robin followed suit, but when the bridge came to a split near the onshore market, she took the right branch while she made Nami and Ussop take the left. "That's where you wanna go," she told them. "There should be a junk shop and probably a map keeper, too."

"But you said they have no need of maps! Tell me Robin," Nami demanded, as they parted among the fish and the fishermen, "what do you mean by all this?!" But Robin melded into the crowd faster than Nami's query could reach.

"Did Robin ever get here before?" Ussop asked as they walked away from the market and toward a quieter, and incidentally the land part of Suppha Island. Nami nodded. "I see; that's how she knows her way around here."

"Yes," Nami said, almost to herself. "And she also mentioned that people around here don't need maps."

"What?"

"My reaction exactly. Ah, there's your junk shop. Let's see if the owner is about."

* * *

Luffy was feeling kind of tired today, so he catapulted himself from the hull and let Fate take care of his destination. He did not stretch too much though; otherwise he might land on another island far from Suppha, or worse, in the sea.

Sanji and Zoro had agreed on a conditional truce: whoever returns with the most information about the island or the isles wins. Luffy was more than happy to see them fight; healthy rivalries like this made his crews act everything out on their own motivations instead of his naggings.

He had a brief bird's eye view of the whole isles as he flew upward before gravity claimed him again, falling at a rate that must have blown apart a pair of normal human lungs, shouting to himself, hooting and such. When he finally landed, it was right smack on something hard, butt first.

"Argh… where the heck am I?" He stood up, looked around and exclaimed. "Oooooooh! A cave! A cave! What a cool cave!"

Jumping deliriously, joyous with his discovery, Luffy rushed inside and found that this huge cavern was lit by the sun, courtesy of a natural opening at the roof. The cave floor was dry and sandy and not wet at all.

"Ha-hah! Maybe I'll find a treasure around here! Lucky!"

He roamed about the cave for any sort of clue (it's a sad fact, but Luffy is not the kind who'd notice anything out of the ordinary even if it was as obvious as his own elastic body…) but he could only find more sand and heaps of old papers. He could find nothing edible, too.

Sighing to himself he sat down at the cave mouth with one selected heap of old papers. "Is it noon yet?" Luffy asked to no one in particular, looking at the sun while one hand rubbing his flat stomach. "Don't think so, but my stomach's already asking for _bento_… I should have asked Sanji make one for me before he left… oh well." Randomly picking a piece, he took it up and held it up against the sun.

Luffy became quiet as he stared at the paper. His brows came down and met at the bridge of his nose as he scrutinised it. "A map!" he suddenly and loudly exclaimed that a small bunch of albatross which had decided to settle on the cliff before him got startled and took flight. "It's a map – no, wait! It's a HEAP of old MAPS! Nami will go bonkers if she sees these! Maps, and lots of them!"

He suddenly fell into a trance, his slightly open mouth drooling. _Maybe one of them is a map to treasures! Or maybe all of them! Ha-ha! Now we'll all travel in style! I must bring these maps back to Going Merry…_

He stood up, looked about and found what he wanted: a shrub with thick, massive leaves. He plucked off two huge ones and wrapped the maps in them. With that done, he roamed about a few more times, the leafed heap under his arm, but nothing else of interest could be found there. Finally he decided to go back down the same way he got up.

That morning in Suppha Island the villagers wondered twice whether they had seen a UFO or just a hovering balloon that was modelled from a stretched male figure.

* * *

"Stop doing that, Chopper."

Chopper stopped sniffing a hoof full of garlic and dropped them back into the basket. "We need lots of this later on the voyage. What's wrong getting them now?"

"I don't think the lady appreciates your sniffing," Sanji said, pointing discreetly to the stall keeper. "Besides, they're all really fresh. Take the upper ones, though."

Chopper paid for the purchases grumblingly and they moved on to the next store that sold citrus fruits. He transformed into his strength form to gather two sacks of them. "Did I miss anything?" Sanji thought aloud, watching the sacks Chopper held. "Potatoes, citrus fruits, carrots, dried meat… I think that's all. Now let's go find some spice."

"We've ran out of that, too?"

"Don't blame me. Luffy liked the spiced flour yesterday so much he asked for seconds. That guy can eat anything." Sanji walked before him toward a stall that said NICE SPICE.

"I noticed. Spice can be rather expensive," Chopper said, beginning to feel the weight of their purchases. "Can you hold this one for me?" he asked to empty air. "Huh? Sanji? Sanji!"

Not far in front, Sanji was on his knees, flattering a svelte lady who looked on him with wide eyes. "Ah, my beautiful dewy sakura, you're the most gorgeous lady I've ever seen, my love! Tell me, what is your sweet name?"

"Sanji!" Chopper shouted, walking as huge a stride as his current form could muster.

He knew, unfortunately, that a love-struck Sanji hears and sees nothing but the current object of his admiration. "Though this island is enchanting, it is your beauty that is even more magical! I implore you, my Melba Peach, to tell me your name, as I, Sanji, the unworthy one, asks with a longing heart!"

The lady blushed as she said, "I'm Dersha."

"What a sweet, beautiful name!" Sanji exclaimed as he boldly took her hand and brought it to his lips, ready to kiss it. "May I have the pleasure –?"

"Of cutting off your head!" said a gruff voice somewhere as a huge meat knife came down with a resounding clang. Chopper's mouth fell open. The market became silent.

* * *

"The mapkeeper's? I know, but no one ever goes there anymore. I don't even know whether the owner's still there, miss. Some said he had sailed away, left this island to live somewhere else. Though why anyone around here would do that makes me wonder. Are you sure you want to go there?"

Nami insisted, and the lady pointed through the open window to a small hut at the top of a small hill right in front of the junk shop. "Wanna go with me, Ussop?"

"I'll have to look for a bit more," Ussop said, tinkering with something that looked like an old toy gun. "Meet me here when you're done."

With that Nami left the shop and walked to the hilltop. The hut looked empty from outside. As she got closer, however, she saw a man sitting on a rattan chair and in front of it was a table, filled with stacks of paper. "Good morning, sir!" she called out to him.

No response came from the man. He seemed to be asleep. The roof, made out of thick coconut leaves, threw dark, cool shades on him, making it hard to be certain whether he was asleep or not. And it was quite a nice time to take a nap, too. The wind was blowing just right and the waves crashing down below sounded relaxing. Nami walked closer on tiptoes, trying not to wake him up.

But when she was close enough, there came a shout from under the hill. "NAMI-SAN!!!!" It was Ussop, running toward her.

"What!?" she furiously shouted back. Then realising where she was, she cupped her mouth. Strangely though, the man did not stir. Slowly it became obvious to her why.

Ussop got there just in time to see Nami standing silently over this man, a cowboy hat drawn over his head, arms nowhere to be seen, probably crossed at the front as Nami was blocking his view. "Nami, you have to be careful, the lady below just remembered that he's a mean old man, who has a fierce dog that feeds off man flesh and kills you in one bite," he said to her. "Nami – come on… back away. He's a mean man!"

"_Was_, Ussop." Nami leant down and took off the cowboy hat. Ussop gasped and reeled back. "Was. Probably been dead for several months."

"DEAD!!!?" Ussop reeled further back. White skull and bone was revealed as Nami's hand caught at the shirt, tearing it off easily like gossamer silk. "Nami! Stop that!"

Nami was silent for a moment as she replaced the hat back on the skull's head while Ussop bit his nails anxiously. She stepped back. "Why didn't they know he's been dead for some time?" Nami asked.

"Who cares! Let's get out of here before anyone realises that and turns us into scapegoats!"

Nami nodded. "Wait, though," she said. Something on the table drew her attention. "Ussop, be on a lookout while I go through these things."

"He's dead, Nami, for goodness' sake! I know you're a thief but don't defile his stuff already! Aren't you afraid he'd get mad and get to us from beyond!?"

"I'm not defiling his stuff, and besides, this is a rather strange circumstance."

Ussop could only watch her with his mouth hanging open. Of course it was strange! A man, dead for months, in his own easy chair on his front porch, undiscovered by the villagers! What else could it be?!

Nami went through the papers. Most of them were accounts of daily deeds. Some were rather strange, though. "I think I'll take all of it. Give me your bag, Ussop."

That snapped his trance. "I am _so_ not going to let _you_ use _my_ bag to put some _dead people's stuff_ in it! Never!"

Nami grinned at Ussop. Taken off guard, Ussop stared back and helplessly watched as she grabbed the bag and stuffed the papers inside. "Done!" she said, giving back the bag to him. "Now, let's go! Anyway, did you get your spare parts and stuff?"

"How could you be so calm after – after – THIS?!!" Ussop's tears of fear were flowing endlessly, pointing to his bag. "These are a DEAD MAN'S STUFF! I'm gonna get cursed after this!! We'll all be!!"

"Don't worry," Nami said cheerfully. "I'm always lucky. I don't think there's a curse to it."

"And she's sooooooooooo cheerful about it! Oh my god! Help me, please forgive me, please forgive me, please forgive me, please forgive me…"

As they descended down the hill Ussop endlessly whispered prayers asking for forgiveness from the deceased.

* * *

Catcalls and whistles followed Robin wherever she went. As long as they did not know who she was, it did not matter much to her. She was human, too; a bit of attention was not that bad. She rested her elbows on the counter and ordered a shot of whiskey.

Later, on her third shot, Robin sensed someone was staring at her. In fact, this one person had probably stared at her since the moment she entered this bar. She ignored this, finished her drink, and turned to leave –

To bump into Zoro. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. "Ah, Zoro. I didn't know swordsmen drink heavy liquor. And who's standing in guard at the ship if you're here?"

"I do, but not this early. And 'bout the ship, it's okay. Nobody with half a mind would risk going onboard." Zoro stared at her as she walked past by. "Um, Robin…"

She stopped. "Yes?"

"I overheard this morning that you've been to this island. Are you familiar with it?"

"I can be; it's been a while since I came here."

"Tell me where I can get my blades sharpened."

Robin's laughter, when she was in the right mood, could sound as beautiful as tinkling glass bells. "That can mean an entirely different thing around here, Zoro. But enough with puns. Ask the bartender, but remember to show your _real _swords, though," she said, her eyes twinkling naughtily. "Now I want to walk some more. Don't wait for me when the rest gets back to the ship, okay? I'll probably come back late at night."

"We might be leaving soon," he replied with an irritated tone.

"We won't," she said, shaking her head as she exited. Her voice floated in like flying silk. "Log pose will not settle down in another three days. Have fun."

Once outside she quickly looked for a huge tree and sat in its shadow. Here, she could no longer feel those eyes trained on her back. However, she hoped that the conversation she had just now would not be taken for a –

"Ugh."

That was all she could utter when a solid whack fell on the back of her neck, incapacitating her muscles and consciousness. She fell on the plank bridge with a silent thud, as darker shadows loomed over her prone form.

"_Welcome home, Nico Robin. Or should I say, Miss All Sunday?_"

* * *

_To be continued, obviously... anyway as a newbie around here I might have mistakes (especially concerning log pose/lock post) so please inform me... and, ehem... review, pls..._


	2. Sanji's Shopping Incident

_Author's Note: Wow. That was one long period. First of all I'd like to apologise for this very long-postponed new chapter upload. I wanted it to be as good as it can be. No more rushing chapter uploads for me. Besides, I like to trim and add it as much as it can handle, and when it looks just nice, I will upload it. Just like this one! To Pokenomiko, I'm really content you approve of this story; I try hard to take care that the characters are not OOC. To S. Sakurai, I'm thrilled that you liked my depiction of Ussop. Certainly he's one of the more interesting characters in the manga and/or anime world I've ever come across. My other odd-fave characters are Batou of GITS (both the movie and the series), the Tachikomas of the same, Iruka-sensei of Naruto, and that's it. (See how 'young' I am, manga- and anime-wise?) Well, on with the story!_

* * *

Chapter Two

Sanji's Shopping Incident. Zoro Pursuing the Trail

* * *

"Why did you attack me from behind like a coward?" asked Sanji. His left shoe sole prevented the sharp edge of a very long and huge chopping knife from reaching him. This was perfectly executed with his left leg raised perpendicular to the ground. "Answer!" 

The lady Sanji had been courting about stared at him before moving back, trembling. About six feet away or so, at the hilt of this oversized chopping knife, a man answered loudly: "I don't give a damn about cowardice or dignity when it comes to Dersha! No one touches my fiancé! Not even a man with blond hair and curly eyebrows!"

"My eyebrows are unique! Don't you dare make fun of them!" Sanji shouted angrily at him. But then he mellowed down. A little chink in his love armour was that betrothed or married women were out of his league, no matter how beautiful she looked.

Pushing the blade aside carefully with his shoe and letting it slide onto the ground harmlessly, he bowed to the man and apologised. "I am sorry, my good man. I was so taken by her beauty that I did not ask whether she was already engaged. And she is so beautiful, I forgot my manners."

Chopper stood still, not daring to move, as it was with the onlookers. The man who wielded the six-foot long chopping knife that looked like a massive guillotine blade was taller than Sanji and just as lean. His arms were rippling with muscles and his face was as dark as a storm cloud as he seemingly judged Sanji. He had thick curly black hair, cut neatly short and thick eyebrows that sat above a pair of very distrusting-looking eyes.

Suddenly the brows relaxed, the distrust gone and the expression on the man's face cleared. A grin broke on his face as he pulled away the oversized chopping blade and slung it over his shoulder effortlessly like a sack of potatoes. The crowd behind him hastily parted, startled by the sudden move.

"Ah! You really know how to apologise prettily, don't you, newcomer!? And you don't have to sing praises 'bout my fiancé; she's a true beauty, everybody thinks so! Aren't you, Dersha?"

Sanji's eyebrows rose a notch. The sudden change of mood however, made Sanji more careful. It could be a ploy to catch him off guard.

"Gappo, you're embarrassing me!" Dersha blushed again, walked toward him and linked her small arm through his. That made Sanji finally relax his guard and watched longingly as Gappo gave her a brief kiss on her lips and she looked up at him pleadingly. "Don't fight him, okay? It was an accident. Besides, he really knows his way with words. You should learn from him. He's a good man, but he's quite... how shall I put it gently..."

"Lecherous?" said a voice Chopper knew well. He turned. Nami and Ussop walked out of the onlookers' crowd and she pointed an angry finger at Sanji – who was waving madly at her and calling out her name, oblivious of her foul mood.

"_You..._ How many times have I told you not to go swooning over women no matter how beautiful they are?! It's lucky that this man is kind enough to let you go!" Then to Gappo, she bowed again and again in apology. "I'm sorry, sir! Please forgive my shipmate for his impoliteness!"

"Ah, don't sweat it little lady. My name is Gappo – don't call me sir, please, I'm not old." Gappo said, waving his hand bashfully. Turning to the crowd, Gappo said aloud: "Now, now, everybody! You all see he's not guilty, and I deem him so. Move along now, nothing else to see here."

Ussop peered from behind Chopper's shoulders. "Guilty? Of what?" Chopper merely shrugged his massive shoulders in reply.

As the crowd dispersed, Nami pulled Sanji toward Gappo and pushed down the back of his head in an apologising gesture. "Apologise, Sanji-kun," she said, still uncertain of Gappo's sincerity. He could be pretending for all to see, she thought.

But Gappo restrained Sanji from apologising and slapped a friendly hand on his shoulder as he pushed Sanji back to them. "No, no, all's fine now. Now that I know you honestly didn't do any real offence, it's all fine by me. You're lucky, because this could have been dangerous. "

"Dangerous?" Ussop asked from behind Chopper. "You did say he's not guilty of something. What does that mean?"

"Well, according to the customs, your Sanji here could have been at least fined, or at worst, publicly executed, for touching someone else's betrothed."

"I _see_." Nami's reply was a whimper, her face pale. Turning to Sanji with angry eyes, she pulled his cheeks until they stretched like rubber. "You heard that, _Sanji-kun_? Do you want to repeat that again?"

Chopper and Ussop fell silent, trembling and hugging each other in utter fear; watching Nami's angry expression alone was a practice in courage and the two often failed.

Sanji, meanwhile, saw a different view: "Nami-san, your love punishment is all I need to remember your warning!"

"But – is it OK for you to not press charges?" Nami asked, still unconvinced after she released Sanji's cheeks.

"What are you getting at, Nami, trying to get Sanji killed?" Chopper asked exasperatedly, releasing Ussop. "Gappo-san said he's fine with it! Don't bring that matter up anymore."

Dersha shook her head. "If my fiancé knew and saw that it was truly accidental, he can let that pass. Or in your case, you confused me for an unattached lady. I'm rather flattered, by the way."

"Oh, Dersha-san!" Sanji was already floating halfway toward her, eyes full of love and admiration. "You're both beautiful _and_ noble! What a combo of love!"

"Somehow I don't think he's learnt his lesson," Gappo remarked, scratching his head. Dersha giggled, covering her lips timidly.

"I think you'll need a serving of my 'pinch of love'," Nami said, closing her eyes and shaking her head hopelessly, as she pulled at Sanji's earlobe to restrain him.

* * *

Zoro watched in amazement as the man before him gave back his three katana. 

"That was – _fast_!" he exclaimed. Stepping back a few he entered the Santoryu stance and grinned. He could feel the blades' spirits; they were revived, reawakened, primed to go – to kill. "You're amazing, old man. The others at most could sharpen these boys in a day, or the worst, in five days. You did all that in fifteen minutes."

The old man did not share his enthusiasm. A still fit-looking man of fifties with bald head and small almond-shaped eyes, he stared at him nonchalantly. His fingers played with a small smooth stone that seemed to caress his scar-laden hands. They looked old and Zoro guessed that this 'old man' must have been no ordinary man in his younger days.

"Boys?" The old man grunted as his eyes became tiny, suspicious slits. "Those aren't boys. Those are monsters. Not to mention the others before you. Blood drinkers, all of them! But none is the worst than that final katana." He pointed to the one Zoro held in his left hand, the one with the purplish edge.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. He could feel an almost imperceptible tremor that passed through the said katana, as if the old man's comment offended it. "Well," he said conversationally as he brought his katana back into their respective sheaths, "you sound like a man who's seen quite a few _meitou_. What else have you sharpened before, old man?"

His small eyes stared back at him with unfathomed emotions – or was there any in them? The man held out a hand instead. "It's a hundred beli."

Shrugging and harrumphing, Zoro paid him and left in silence. But he made sure he remembered the way here.

He walked on the small boardwalks that connected most of the island's populated areas aimlessly. As long as he could see the wharf from anywhere he stood, that would be fine. That wharf would be his beacon back to their ship. Grudgingly he thought that, if Nami were with him, it would be better. Her eye for detail would have produced a good map after two complete circles around the island. He would more information quicker and beat Sanji at that.

The island's population seemed to concentrate to the beaches surrounding the island. The villages were actually built upon the sea, where the tide rose and fell safe enough for the villagers to go about their daily lives.

Zoro did not see any high cliffs yet, but with the highest elevation being that hill at the heart of this island, Zoro doubted there were any. The hill was the centre of the island, so all lands descend from that heart of the island.

Evergreen forest covered the heart of the island, that being the hill, and from here it looked thick and luscious with various plants. He wondered briefly whether he could hunt there, then decided that Sanji would have more than enough to cook after the shopping he would have done by now with Chopper. (_Shopping_, he thought, snickering at the word.)

With that in mind Zoro decided to head back to the bar where he met Robin a while ago. He got on the boardwalks again, remembering the bar's direction easily because outside of it there stood this huge umbrella tree. Nobody could miss it. Unless it was Luffy.

A hairpin turn appeared before him as he approached the bar, and Zoro was in this spot when his ears pricked up. A distinct sound was floating about above the soft caressing of the waves. He crouched lower after making sure no one was about.

There it was again.

It sounded like someone was pulling something heavy against wet sands. Zoro's eyes widened. _Wet sands_.

The boardwalks all over the Suppha Island were built on high stilts to avoid everyday tides, and this morning the tide had just receded when they anchored. Whatever that sound was, it had to come from under the bridges. But these planks were built closely packed to each other that it was hard to see anything below.

He looked about for a hole, and found a tiny one. Peering through it, Zoro saw nothing at first, but then the sound got closer and closer. He then saw shadows moving on the sand before a huge form blocked his view entirely, but only for a second. Then the view was quite suddenly replaced by a distinct and clear view of a delectable cleavage that threatened to burst from a black leather material.

Zoro leapt backward as if stung by the sight; his nostrils were showing the first signs of a nosebleed, though he was not aware of that fact at first. He held his breath until the noise disappeared from his sharp ears, and heaved a huge sigh.

"There's no mistaking in it," Zoro said to himself as he rose, feeling heat rising on his face. He knew his face now must be as red as a spanked pig's bottom. "_Those_ are Robin's. But what and where is that fellow taking her to?"

(His following thoughts were deemed by the writer as unfit for publishing with the current rating. Suffice to say that Zoro was thinking of very explicit stuff. Lots of them.)

Shaking his head vigorously, he gritted his teeth and nodded forcefully at himself. "All that matters now is to follow that fellow and rescue Robin." He nodded again, this time with forced conviction, pulling the front of his pants outward. "Rescue Robin. Rescue – ah, what the hell -?!"

His nose was bleeding furiously by now.

* * *

"Ah..." Nami stretched her body. Then she shielded her eyes as she cast her gaze around the secret dock. Nothing. "Where the hell is everybody?" 

Chopper got onboard and went into the galley to store the foodstuff, followed by Sanji and Ussop. "Zoro said he's going to look for some info while sharpening his crappy toys. I don't know about Robin-chan, though. Didn't the three of you go to the market together?"

"We did, but we got separated at the market." Ussop unloaded his stuff from the sack. Out fell the spare parts and some other stuff that looked like refuse metal scraps. "Yes... this has been a very lucrative day for Captain Ussop."

"What did you have?" Chopper asked, bounding out of the galley to settle next to him. "What are you going to do with these stuff? Engines? Guns? Some medical equipment for me?"

Sanji and Nami left the two 'sailing' in their own imagination. They sat at the railings and stared out at the island. "It's good that we met Gappo-san. I hope he runs into Zoro. And Luffy's gone too. I hope nothing bad happens to him." Nami sighed.

"That boy always manages to embroil himself in trouble, no matter how hard the rest of us tried not to," Sanji remarked, lighting a cigarette.

"And also a great captain, right?"

"Right – uh..."

Nami and Sanji turned around. Luffy stood amongst the tangerine trees, grinning widely. A green package was pinned under his armpit. "Luffy! How – _what_ have you done to my tangerines!!?"

Luffy turned around. Most of the tangerine trees had fallen down. There was a huge impression that must have been where Luffy must have landed. "Oh, that." He scratched his hat.

"Don't _oh that_ me, you insufferable ruffian!" Nami screamed. "Those are my precious, precious tangerines! MY TANGERINES! My second prized possession after my maps!!"

"Sorry," Luffy said, but Nami was already climbing to the roof, her hands formed into formidable fists and pointed them dangerously at him. "I'm sorry, Nami! Sanji, help me!"

"Ah! Nami-san, you look so beautiful when you're angry! Hit me with your punch of love, Nami-san!"

"Sanji you're hopeless! Wait!" Luffy screamed at Nami.

Nami stopped, but her fists were hovering dangerously five inches from Luffy's nose. "WHAT?" she growled.

He thrust under Nami's nose the leaves-wrapped package. "I found these in a cave on the hill. Won't you look at them first?"

Nami stared at him, and then at the package. She slapped them away. "Is this some kind of a ruse? Are you trying to catch me off-guard? Let me tell you then; you suck at it." She inched closer.

"No, no, Nami! Look at them first! I don't know much but they look like maps! Nami! NOOO!"

Below, Sanji was swooning, wishing he was the one who got beaten. Below still, Chopper and Ussop looked at each other, pausing in the middle of their chats.

"Did you hear that?" Ussop asked him.

"I think it sounds like Luffy." He scratched his antlers. "But he's gone walking, right?"

"Hm, yeah. He sounds desperate. Well, maybe it's just my imagination. Hey, get your hoofs of those bombs. You wanna get us all blown up to pieces?"

[Later]

"I'm so sorry, so very, _very_ sorry. Forgive me, please?"

Ussop and Chopper stared dumbly as Luffy – a swollen, black-and-blue Luffy – swayed out of the cabin, followed by Nami and Sanji who had a lounging chair with him. He spread it out on the deck.

"Thank you, Sanji," Luffy said as he seated himself imperiously.

"Luffy, I'm so sorry, okay? Forgive me, my captain. I will ask Sanji to cook meat for you tonight, and the next night, and the next. Okay?"

Luffy sat up. "You do that?"

"Why, _yeeees_... I'm so sorry, Luffy. I never thought you were telling the truth!"

"I tell the truth! You have to have trust with your captain and your mates!" Then Luffy sat back. "But if you ask Sanji to cook meat ONLY for me, then you're forgiven."  
  
"Done," Nami said. "Now can I have the maps?"

"They're in the... what do you call it... tub?"

Nami raised hell when she realised what the _tub _was.

* * *

Zoro stood before a massive rock. It looked like it was one of the rocks that made up this eroded part of the hill. What made Zoro rethink of its authenticity was the fact that the trail he had pursued went _under_ it. If he were a little late, he would have not found the trail; the rising tide was already wiping the trail away even as he stood there. 

He scratched his head. "There must be some kind of switch around here," he concluded, after trying to figure out how would someone get through the hard rocks. "But how the hell... I can't see any strange thing that can be taken as switches."

Kelps from the previous tide flopped limply among the waves. Zoro pulled away the kelps, thinking that maybe the switch was hidden there. He fell on his knees, his eyes five inches from the ground. Unsatisfied, Zoro began digging with his fingers; the sand was soft enough to dig barehanded. But all he got was seawater filling up every hole he dug in the sand. He found nothing.

Finally frustrated, Zoro sat down resignedly and gritted his teeth. He had tried to lift the rock but it was impossibly hard. Even though his swords could cut through steel, he could not cut this one. It only made some marks on it. Maybe Luffy can lift it up, he thought, but even if it were Luffy, it would take a lot of his energy. Standing up and pulling out one of his sword, Zoro made several slashes at the rock.

"There. That should do it. Now I have to get back and tell those guys." He leapt out of the rising tide back onto the boardwalk, striding as fast as his wet trousers could take him.

* * *

"Sanji, are you done?" Luffy called out, drawing out each word longer than they should. 

"Yeah, yeah. Here you losers go." Sanji had spread out a table on the deck; it was a nice sunny day with passing clouds that blotted out the sun now and then. The breeze was also great, cooling down the sunshine for a bit. Ussop had created some sort of tablecloth fastener that looked suspiciously like mini sawfish stuck at the corners of the table. Jugs of tangerine drinks – from the fallen trees – stood at the middle. "Today's menu is steak for the Captain and seafood minestrone for the two of you. The seafood is of course, courtesy of Gappo and Dersha."

As they tucked in noisily, while Ussop and Chopper alternated telling Luffy what had happened that day in the market, Sanji ran back to the galley. Nami had asked for a bowl of soup; that girl did not eat heavily like the rest of the crew, especially if she was studying or making maps. So he made a special one for her.

He went up to her cabin and knocked on her door, one hand balancing the soup bowl. "If it's you, Luffy, you know what you'll get trying to disturb me right now!" she called from inside.

"Nami-san, it's me with your lovely soup," Sanji cooed from outside. The door immediately opened. "Hello, Nami-san. This is _le soup du jour_, mushroom cream soup with tuna. Oh, careful, it's quite hot."

Nami invited him in, much to Sanji's delight. He looked around and grinned. "This has got to be the messiest female domain I've ever seen," he remarked charmingly. "Not that I mind."

"Well, you know, the maps were quite safe even Luffy put them in the _bathtub._ Don't ask why. And for once Luffy was making some sense; indeed, those papers he brought me _were_ maps." She paused, sipping the soup as Sanji pulled out a foldable fan and began fanning her. Then it seemed she wanted to say something, but decided not to, and sipped her soup again.

What Nami did was very brief and nigh unnoticeable, but for someone with an eye for detail, Sanji could not have missed even those diminutive expressions. "Something's bothering you, Nami-san?"

Nami cast her gaze on the old papers, strewn all over the floor. She shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"You're sure they're only maps?"

"I _know_ they are. What I'm not sure about is why anyone would throw them all away."

"Maybe they're not used anymore. I heard Robin-chan said so this morning; this island doesn't need maps."

"I know that too." Nami put down the spoon and turned to Sanji. "Sanji-kun, did you go to the market?"

"I'm sorry to say this, Nami-san, but that's a stupid question, and you know it."

"Answer me," she demanded.

"Yes I did. Why?"

"When you were there, did you see those catches? I mean all the sea creatures that were caught and sold in the market?"

"What are you trying to drive at, Nami-san - ?"

At that moment, Sanji suddenly knew the answer to his own question. No wonder he felt a bit restless when in the market. He had chalked it up to the usual pirate instinct: that their presence might be noticed by Marines. Now he_ really_ realised why. Those fish, those crustaceans, they were all... "Nami-san, you mean - ?"

Her answer was drowned by a loud racket coming from outside. They came out and saw Ussop, Chopper and Luffy swarm around someone on the deck. Chopper was screaming: "Doctor! Somebody get a doctor!"

"You're the doctor, you idiot!" said a gruff voice that suddenly changed into screams of pain.

Ussop slapped Chopper's antlers frantically. "Go get your medicine chest, Chopper!"

"Uh, yep, yep!" Chopper quickly bounded into the galley.

"What's this about?" Sanji asked as he descended the stairs. Nami followed him.

"It's Zoro! He's been attacked!" Luffy screamed from the deck.

* * *

To be continued, of course.. and it seems this quickedit thingy is still faulty. Hmmm... 


	3. Zoro Wounded?

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Love the encouragements! Pokenomiko, I know that Zoro is strangely asexual (that's how I describe him), but my motto in writing is that nothing is written without a reason. Though I must admit that even Zoro should have had nosebleed seeing Robin's cleavage, right! But Oda-sensei affirms that Zoro should remain as so. I think it has to do with his first rival and friend whose name I can't recall now… I'm babbling, forgive me. Anyway, there IS a reason to his nosebleed that will become apparent in the future chapters. Just a hint, though: Zoro saw the light, though he did not realise it. I'll leave you readers to puzzle over that. Now, on with the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter Three 

Zoro Wounded! What about Robin?

* * *

Shocked, Sanji quickly went to his side and looked at Zoro, Nami not far behind. "How the hell -?" He was unable to finish the query.

A strange contraption was lodged under his right armpit, right between his lower ribs and his biceps. It looked like a grappling hook, but it was a lot bigger. The hook part was locking his arm and biting down on his ribs; it had already pierced his biceps. Now blood was running down his arm and haramaki like a burst dam. Zoro' face contorted in pain. He bit his lips in effort to thwart it, but this caused his lips to bleed. His breath by now sounded like a racehorse that had just finished a derby. He screamed again, a painful, pitiful sound that surprised even Sanji. 

"CHOPPER!!" Nami screamed when she saw Zoro, almost panicking, trying to top Zoro's voice, "HURRY!!" 

"I'm coming, I'm coming!!" With that Chopper landed beside her, his medicine chest slung round his shoulder. "Please stand away from the patient, give him some air. Luffy, get some hot water right now." 

Luffy sped into the galley, followed by Sanji. Nami stood back as Ussop held her hands. "Who would do this?" she asked. 

"The Marines, no doubt, Nami," Ussop muttered. "And to think they shot him from behind. What other cowards would do such a thing other than the Marines?" 

"I – they – no –" Zoro tried to speak, but Chopper shoved a wooden peg between his bared teeth. Zoro immediately bit down on them. 

"Keep your mouth shut and maybe the pain won't get worse, Zoro," Chopper said, his eyes trained seriously on Zoro's. The latter nodded and bit down the peg. His teeth made creaking sounds on the poor instrument, leaving teeth marks. Then his attention shifted to the contraption and the wound. Chopper's expression changed instantly. 

Nami and Ussop noticed this. Tentatively they both leant forward, half eagerly, half fearfully. "What? What is it?" the two whispered their query almost simultaneously. 

Chopper suddenly slapped his forehead and _laughed.  
  
_  
  
"Here's the hot water, doc – uh… what is going on?" 

"This," said Ussop, grinning. In one hand he had that grappling-hook thingy, all bloodied and messy. He let it fall on the deck. 

Chopper was leaning on the main mast, his whole body shaking while his eyes were tearful. Sanji went to him and took him by his shoulders. "What happened, Chopper? Where's Zoro? Is he okay? I see a lot of blood on the deck – where is he?" 

"I'm down here," came a gloomy reply. 

Luffy and Sanji gathered near the gangplank. There they saw Zoro sitting with his back to them. His haramaki was still bloodied, but there were bandages now around his waist. Luffy called out to him: "Zoro! What are you doing sitting there? Why is Chopper doing nothing?" 

"Chopper's already done something, Sanji-kun. It was only _a scratch_," said Nami from behind. Luffy and Sanji turned, jaws gaping in disbelief. "A big one, but not dangerous if treated carefully." 

"_A scratch_?! No way! You liar! We all saw how much he bled! Look at the mess he did on the deck! A scratch won't cause that much bleeding!" Luffy shouted. 

"Sanji," Nami turned to him, "isn't there a condition where a person's blood won't congeal fast enough that it will look like he's bleeding badly?" 

Sanji put a finger on his lip, thinking. Presently he snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes of course! There are instances like you said, Nami-san. But what does it have to do with Zoro? He was not only bleeding endlessly; he was also in a lot of pain! A scratch won't do that to anyone! Well, maybe Zoro. He's quite weak." 

At that point the rest of the crew averted another near disaster, of which Sanji would have been sliced to neat pieces, while Zoro would have sustained mortal blows on the head. Nami was the one who stopped them both, as usual. Sanji snorted at Zoro while the latter went back to his previous location and resumed brooding. 

"That grappling hook caught him between the three sheaths and some skin on his sides and arm. It took hold some folds of his skin and pinched him right there. That way, the three sheaths and that grappling hook were more than enough combination to cause him unbearable pain. Plus, with the presence of the anti-coagulants, he couldn't have realised what exactly caused the pain. But since there was a lot of blood, coupled with the pain, he concluded that he was gravely injured, as we all did." 

They turned to Chopper who had been laughing while watching Sanji and Zoro fought, wiping the tears off his eyes. "This has got to be the funniest medical case I ever attended. Who would have guessed? Even Zoro thought he was dying!" He laughed again, joined by Ussop and Nami. 

"I heard that," Zoro said from below in a low, grumpy tone. 

"But I think whoever did this really meant to kill Zoro," Chopper added, his tone became serious. He picked up the grappling hook and took a sniff. Then he wiped his right hoof on it. Something sticky and colourless that had mingled with Zoro's blood came off of it. 

"See! The hook's been coated with vampire bats' saliva, which has anti-coagulants in it. Vampire bats suck out blood of their victims by locating the veins, piercing the skin with their teeth, and proceeding to suck the blood out. Anti-coagulants in their saliva prevent the blood from congealing, thus allowing the blood to flow out freely. The blood did not congeal at its usual speed because of this." 

Silence descended upon Going Merry all the while Chopper explained this to them. When he was done, Chopper nodded weakly and said, "You don't understand a word I say, do you?" 

Murmurs rose and fell. Ussop nodded frantically though his expression was blank, while Luffy tried to bite the hook. Fortunately Nami stopped him short of it. Zoro remained motionless, his back an unmovable wall. The only person who seemed to understand him was Sanji. 

Chopper sighed unenthusiastically. "Well, anyway, if I didn't treat Zoro's wounds right, he could have died from massive blood loss and blood infection. That grappling hook doesn't only harbour that anti-coagulant, it's also rusty. Rusty weapons and the sea provide countless ways to die." 

His voice became very low and frightening. "You could have had a slow and torturous death, Zoro. And even if you did survive the substantial bleeding, the sharks in the waters might have taken care of the job even faster." Then he immediately brightened. "But you have me around, and you can trust my competence in dressing your wounds." 

Turning to them, Chopper said, "He'll be okay after a night's rest, but he won't be able to move actively; he's lost a lot of blood." 

"And that also means _I_ have to cook for _him_ a nutritious meal," Sanji pointedly said. "No sake for you tonight." 

"Love cook, if I'm not this weak, you might have to cook with your feet tonight," Zoro countered weakly, the whole sentence a _diminuendo_ if written on a music score. 

"Enough of that sulking, Zoro," Nami called from the deck. "You better get up here and go down your quarters to rest, Zoro. Zoro? Oh great." 

"What is it?" asked Ussop. 

"He's fallen asleep!" 

"Do you think he'll eat the leftover spiced flour from last night?" 

"_Sanji-kun_!" 

"Okay, okay. I'll see what I can manage for that kengo."

* * *

Robin was weak. She felt as if she was surrounded by water, but all around her was only darkness and air. She tried to stand up and somehow managed to do so without feeling giddy, unlike before. She had passed out on her first try.

Robin tried to make sense of time. She was kidnapped in the morning. The first time she woke up it was probably about 5 hours later. Now she guessed it must be close to hour number 6. She never passed out for a long time, in her experience. This was rather unusual… 

She heard a clang somewhere in the darkness. Right now her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, but still she could not make out anything. This place was impossibly dark. It seemed like no light could enter this place. 

That thought sent a small stir of remembrance in her head. She slowly sat herself down, taking great care not to make any sound. 

_Why did that thought seem familiar before? I know I've been here before, but it was so long ago, I forgot everything. Damn! Think, Robin! You've been here before, what have you known about this place and the people and this very weird fact that they don't need maps? _

A small voice in her replied, shivering and afraid: 

_I don't want to know._

A pebble crunched not far from where she sat. Robin turned her unseeing eyes to that direction. Was that a silhouette standing in front of her? 

"You're awake. How's your neck?" a deep man's voice asked from that direction. 

Robin scoffed. "What a polite captor. Am I here because you want my bounty?" 

"I know how much you're worth, Robin. Back then, I might need that much money to do anything at all. But that's useless now. I have everything I need on this island, no, actually these isles." 

"Where are you, hiding in this darkness? You're more cowardly than the shadow you paid to bring me here." 

The man laughed a sinister, brief laugh. "I forgot. You see," he went on conversationally as suddenly a massive draft began and pulled Robin toward the direction of that voice, "ever since I realised my full potential, I often forget how pitiful the layman are." 

Panicking, her mind instinctively opened the survival paths and she thought _La primavera!_ and ten hands grew up from beneath her, holding her down. By now her legs were lifted up in the air, and still the maelstrom of dark wind grew in intensity. However, the atmosphere around her seemed to brighten a bit. The strange darkness also started to lift up, and suddenly light seemed to burst before her so brightly that Robin had to close her eyes. 

After a long while, she dared to open her eyes. At first the brightness was very intense; she had to squint for a few more seconds before she could open them properly. 

"Well, well. That's a lot of hands you have there. I guess that was too much for you to handle, pardon the pun," the man said with an arrogant air. "By the way, welcome to the Carat Club, Miss All Sunday." 

Her eyes now fully accustomed to the increasingly bright light, Robin wondered whether too much light had altered most of her optic nerves. 

Then finally, unwillingly, everything came rushing back in her memory, as her sight became flooded with the immense light and her mind overwhelmed.

* * *

"Here you go."

Zoro had woken up a few minutes ago, refreshed but still a bit sore at the sides. It was almost sunset; a relaxing calm had settled over their makeshift wharf. When he heard Nami he turned and saw a plate of white cakes placed beside him. Nami sat down beside him. "What the hell are those?" He eyed them suspiciously. 

Nami shrugged. "They're sake cakes. Go on, eat them." 

Zoro's brows rose. A small grin cracked his previously sombre face. "Sounds good to me." He took one and bit it. "Wait a minute, how did that perverted cook manage to bake this? Did he buy these?" 

"He's been making sake in the galley. No baking needed. How else do you think you get all the drinks you wanted all these times?" 

So that was what the small room at the corner of the galley that stank of stale sake all about. That pervert of a cook even installed a huge sign 'NO ENTRY **ESPECIALLY FOR MARIMO-HEAD**!!' on it. Zoro nodded as he stuffed another piece inside his mouth. "These are… so-so. Don't tell him I said that, though." 

"I… won't…" Nami said, staring in disbelief at him as he put in another piece into his mouth. 

With his mouth full he asked, "By the way, the ship's kinda silent. What's going on? A bit early sleep, ain't it?" Though their environs had quietened down, there were still some activities at the wharfs. Now and then echoes of far-off calls from the fishermen and seabirds floated to their ship. Everything seemed as if in a beautiful dream, complete with the quietly majestic sunset. 

"That's what I'm about to tell you," Nami said, that disbelief look grew with each piece that got stuffed into Zoro's throat. "All of them, after one piece of that cake only, went dead drunk… Chopper was the first; he thought they were sweet rice cakes…" 

Zoro paused. "Oh. Well, anyway, they're quite sweet _and_ strong. I heard about it, but never ate one before." He stuffed down another piece. "Wanna have a piece?" he asked Nami, offering her one. 

"I don't want to get drunk on a piece of cake," Nami replied gravely. 

Zoro shrugged. "Suit yourself." He munched on the proffered cake. 

"Anyway, Zoro, have you seen Robin? Did you meet her anywhere on the island? We got separated at the market and she didn't return since. Sanji's filled with distraught… and to tell you the truth, I'm also worried." 

Zoro stopped eating. He stared at the gangplanks and the boardwalk that led back to the main wharf. Nami followed suit and saw an irregular row of blood drops on it, leading probably all the way back to where Zoro had gotten out of the ocean and crept back here. 

She turned to Zoro whose face had become grave with concern. 

"That's what I've wanted to tell you, Nami." He inhaled deeply. "I saw Robin got kidnapped in the town this morning." 

Nami's disbelief expression returned. "Robin? But that's impossible!" 

"Believe me, I know her cleavage when I saw it, and that was definitely hers." 

That earned a free punch on Zoro's head. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? NAMI!" Zoro demanded, holding his painful head in his hands. "My head still hurts, you senseless monster!" 

"Be serious!" 

"I AM serious, dammit! I saw her – _that"_ – he changed his words when he noticed Nami's punch lingered dangerously near – "from between those boardwalks, okay! It was after I sharpened my katana… now I know I'm not in good terms with her, but I am serious, Nami." 

Nami rose quickly. "Then I have to tell those guys –" 

"No." Zoro grabbed her hand and pulled her down. 

"What do you mean _no?_ Robin's our nakama and we have to save her!" 

"I know," Zoro said. "But listen." He went on telling her how he realised that Robin was kidnapped and what happened when he followed the trail to the end. 

"What do you mean, no one can enter it?" 

"There's this massive rock blocking the way. I tried to but my katana won't cut through it, though they did leave a few marks." 

"And that's when you got shot." 

"I didn't see who that was, but he (assuming it was a man) shot me from behind with the intention to get me at my heart, maybe. But as I walked away I stumbled on the planks, and that must have thrown his aim off and instead, that thing passed under my armpit." 

"He really wants you dead, then. Good thing you're a clumsy oaf." Nami ignored his stares. "However, the impact must have been very powerful; you got thrown into the sea because of it. Now, if that man really wants you dead, why didn't he check for your body?" 

Zoro sighed, his eyes closed. "I guess he thought the sharks could take care of me, dead or alive. And the rest went as Chopper said." He shook his head resignedly. "I got fooled by some stupid bats' saliva… what a crappy trick!" 

Nami patted his shoulders. "Come on, Zoro. Everybody makes a mistake. This must be one of yours. Right now, we'll have to rest. We had a long trip to here and after all of this excitement, I think it's good for all of us to rest." 

"What about Robin?" Zoro asked, alarmed. "Aren't you the one who wanted to tell the rest about it right now?" 

Nami shrugged. "What can we do? Although you did find the entrance to the kidnappers' hideout, you said that you weren't able to enter. And now look at you. You can't even walk without feeling a bit giddy, do you?" 

Zoro did not look convinced and started to protest, but Nami tried to reason again: 

"Look here, Zoro; I'm not saying that Robin can't defend herself, nor is she invulnerable. But now, this coward who shot you from behind must be prowling about the secret entrance, and probably with more manpower. It's better for us to retreat for a while and let them think that you're her only partner and no one else will be looking for both of you. Let them think that you're dead. Anyways, everyone's knocked out cold, you're still not in your best form, and I'm very good in being cute and pretty, but that's all." 

"You're neither cute nor pretty," Zoro muttered. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Ah, must be the sake cakes talking. But still, it worries me that she was easily kidnapped. It's not like I doubt her resourcefulness, but – well…" he shrugged helplessly. 

Nami nodded her head. "I understand, Zoro. I am concerned, too. But the three of us, we can do nothing right now. Even if Sanji were to go there with us, I don't think we'd make any progress. His legs are only as strong as your blades, after all." 

"Don't compare Sanji's dirty legs with my boys," Zoro sternly warned her. "They're more superior to his scrawny twigs-for-legs." 

"Okay, okay. Now, get on the deck and try to get some sleep." 

Although he still commented on how he would not sleep so worried he was about Robin while ascending the gangplank, Zoro fell asleep as soon as his ass touched the deck floor. 

Much to Sanji's chagrin later, Nami wanted him to stand guard. "But tonight was that lousy kengo's turn!" he protested. 

"Sanji-kun, why don't we do it _together_ then?" 

All was forgiven. 

* * *

To be continued…  
  
P/s: Kind readers, you won't see the newest chapters coming anytime soon. I'm a student, and I have obligations, that is, to attend the exams! Yes! Exams are just around the corner like a street mugger! God help me… anyway, if you don't see the new chapters soon, you'll know what that means, okay! By the way… please review… hehehe… 


	4. Saving Robin! But how?

**_Hemlock's Mini Corner:_** Hora! I've decided to call this spot Mini Corner. I'll answer questions and stuff right here as brief as possible. Anyway, I'm back! I managed to squeeze some time out for this chapter, and chapter 5 is coming out nicely, albeit a bit hiccup-y at times. FYI, I often write without much planning at the beginning; I like to see how I am able to surprise even myself. So far I'm very pleased with it all and I am VERY HAPPY that you enjoyed the ride as well! No better reward for a writer than a satisfied bunch of readers. _(Editor: Sounds strange, but that's how he works most of the time.)_ Pokenomiko, it's still too far to see exactly the reason of Zoro's nosebleed (I see it's become your numero uno problemo!) but we're getting there. P.M. you should start reading the manga. It's arguably the most inventive story I've ever read. I graduated from being a passing reader to an avid fan a few months ago, and still haven't recovered from the shock of seeing Nami fighting a B.W. agent with a party favour stick! Ooh, I think I should stop here.

* * *

Chapter Four

Save Robin! But how?

* * *

The next morning, the Straw Hat Pirate crews' breakfast was interrupted by a chorus of "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!???"

"Nami-san, although Robin is more mature, how could you hide this fact from me? I like both of you, equally, not less, not more! All's fair in the game of love, but not like this! Never like this! Now I want to hit you, but you're still the Nami-san I adore! But why? WHY?"

The others seemed to understand, though, when Nami explained her reasons why. "I think there's some logic in that thinking, Nami," Chopper said, munching on a salad sandwich. "Although what you did to us was rather off of our principle, I guess that's forgivable. Right, captain?"

Luffy nodded, his mouth stuffed with generously-portioned ham sandwiches. He managed to swallow them all up, somehow. "I don't think what Nami did was right, too. But, we all were drunk last night, and if the three of you were to go there, you'd probably be kidnapped too."

Three shadows fell upon him in an instant. "Are you trying to say that we're weak?" Sanji's, Nami's and Zoro's expression were dark and angry. The trio of two male and a female voice was frightening in the least.

Luffy laughed, displaying those healthy teeth and gums to the dark faces before him, his hands waving up and down in a calming gesture. "I mean, what fun will there be when only the three of you go there? The more the merrier, that's what they always say, right?"

Chopper and Ussop nodded. "Besides, we should do this together, not behind our nakama's backs. Agreed?"

A concurring chorus answered him. "Well," Luffy said, grabbing another plateful of ham sandwiches, "we'll speak of rescue missions later. Right now I want to eat."

Sanji deftly pulled back the plate, and the sandwiches.

-&&&-

"Hey, Nami." Sanji eyed Zoro for a moment, then glanced at Nami.

"Yes?" She was sitting at the railing overlooking the deck.

"Did you finish what we started last night? I couldn't remember."

"Almost," she replied with a smile. "Thank you."

"I never thought it could be like that! Seriously, Nami, I never saw it in an entirely new angle."

Zoro could only wonder what they were talking about while Luffy was still munching on the sandwiches as they set sail. They would sail according to Zoro's directions to the secret entrance, which would be less conspicuous than four people and a transforming reindeer travelling by foot. Luffy had suggested that he'd catapult himself with them on his back, but that suggestion was denied outright.

"With the log pose still pointing to the island, we won't get lost," Nami said when Chopper asked her about getting lost in the waters. "Besides, with Sanji's help last night, I'm close to identifying the Mappy Isles map. The dead man was some sort of a cartographer and a sailor. I have to check his name in the books again later."

_So that's what it's all about_, Zoro snickered. _That cook simply longed to receive a friendly blade in between his chest._

She went back to reading a thick book balanced on her lap and the yellowed papers she had bound with some spare rope taken from sackcloth, but her attention was more on the papers. After a while's silence, she uttered an irritated snort.

"What's up?" Chopper asked. He was sitting beside her.

"I found some references in the journal. Though it's kind of weird he didn't write down his name anywhere in the journal, it seemed like he was a freelancer; a great cartographer and sailor of sorts. It says so here on this page. But when I get further, that's where everything begins to not make sense."

"Such as?"

"Listen here," Nami said as she picked up one of the yellowed papers. "'I know my maps are no longer useful, but I will continue making them. It's a form of my protest. They will realise the importance of maps once they discovered the truth; though there no one else is left to pass it around.' And here: 'It's haunting me; how many of my friends are actually my friends, and how many more of them, whom I passed everyday on my way to work or to town; these people really know that anything they know is not true, but they ignored them.'"

Silence hushed down on them. Only the gentle breaking of the waves on the prow regularly intruded the relative calm.

"So what he's trying to say is that this island is an illusion?" Sanji asked.

"It looks real enough to me," Ussop said. "Even that crowd on the beach."

"What crowd?" Zoro asked him. Everyone gathered at the starboard side of the ship.

"Holy potatoes! That's a huge crowd," remarked Sanji as he shielded his eyes from the blinding sun.

"And that's where we're landing," Zoro muttered. His hands went to his katana and thumbed the hilt up.

"Can you see more, Ussop?" Luffy asked.

The latter adjusted his glasses and peered silently through it. "Nami…" he began, almost uncertainly, as his lips pursed.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember that lady Sanji was swooning about?"

"WHERE! WHERE?!"

Nami pulled at Sanji's collar to restrain him. "Dersha, you mean?"

Ussop nodded. Sanji was pawing at him, trying to get a view. But his view was still fixed at the beach. "I think she's holding a gun… uh, a HUGE GUN, pointing at us…"

Nami and Sanji were about to refute him when Zoro suddenly pushed them all down, including Luffy who was seated at the edge. A shower of bullets began, scarring the main masts and leaving holes in the sails. Some got caught at the woodworks. The attack lasted for a good half a minute before everything became calm again. Everyone on the deck slowly and cautiously poked their heads from under their arms.

"Why is Dersha shooting at us?" Sanji hissed. He noticed his cigarette was blunt and unlit, but when he took it off his mouth he realised it was shot at the middle, leaving the rest intact. "Dammit, they even shot my cigarette!"

"They got me! They got me!" Ussop cried aloud, lying on his stomach. His t-shirt had a red blotch and spreading out fast.

"That's your chilli sauce ammo, stupid," Zoro noted.

"See, Zoro," Luffy said, face down on the deck, voice muffled by his position, "if you three were to go on a reconnaissance last night, you'd be taken down by these people in no time."

"Wow, Luffy," Chopper said with great admiration, "you know the word reconnaissance!"

"There's no time for that," Zoro said as he got up and hunched himself in effort to hide behind the hull, away from the view of the shooters. "You said you knew some of those people, Nami? Sanji?"

"I thought we did," Nami replied as she sat up from her spread-eagled position. A single shot rang in the air and she fell down again. Sanji was behind her, pushing her down. "But – they sure looked nice and wonderful yesterday…"

"Maybe they've changed their mind about yesterday," Ussop said, lying flat on his stomach with his goggles in disarray. He tried to rearrange it on his head, while his face grew darker. "It's all your fault now, Sanji, if that's the case!"

"But they –"

"Don't tell me you messed with the womenfolk, Sanji," Zoro growled. The cook made a motion that resembled a shrug as he lie on his stomach. Immediately Zoro's sheath came into contact with Sanji's head. "You dumb ass! Can't you think before you even touch a woman! Look what you've got us into! Next time, think with this head" – Sanji earned another hit on the head – "before your dickhead, _dickhead_!"

Leaving Nami's side, Sanji almost rose in retaliation but Luffy stretched one rubbery hand at his shoulders, restraining him, but that movement, detected by the beach crowd somehow, caused another brief shower of bullets from the beach. "Sit down, or lie silent." Luffy hissed at them. "Obviously, they're not friendly anymore. We have to leave."

His desire to give Zoro a kick in the ass immediately evaporated. "Leave Robin-chan behind? But why?!"

"Sanji, I don't think we can save her. We have to leave now." With that Luffy turned to Nami. "Chart for a course to the next island, Nami. Ussop and Chopper, go to the main wheel." Flipping himself to land on his back, Luffy turned to Sanji and Zoro. "Stay on guard here in case any of those beach people feels stupid enough to climb up. Don't let them see you, though, especially _you_." The last two words were said in a hushed tone as Luffy pointed at Zoro.

"But what about Robin-chan!!?" Sanji yelled. "We're leaving her behind, if you don't notice it, Luffy!"

"Sanji –" Zoro began. Sanji pushed his hand away and crawled angrily toward Luffy but halted halfway. Luffy had paused long enough to turn on his back and stare at Sanji.

"Then you should notice too that we are wasting our energy shouting about." It was a stern, dark stare he was giving Sanji; a look he rarely gave to anyone, reserved only for dark times. Right now Luffy was a true captain, with real harshness and unconcern, giving orders that were not to be refused. "Guard the deck. Nami, are we at a safe distance?" She nodded after looking at the sky and gauging the sun's position. Luffy stood up, followed gingerly by the rest of the crew. "We'll discuss our next course, Nami, in your room."

"What? There's no way –"

"Your room. Now."

With a helpless yet defiant look etched on her face, Nami went up to her room and Luffy followed behind her. Sanji lit another cigarette and spat angrily at the deck while Zoro scanned the beach. At this distance nobody on the beach could recognize him, considering that woman/man who shot him yesterday was among those people. Also, they were further away from the beach by now, a safe distance from those pesky bullets. At the helm, Ussop and Chopper waited in gloomy silence for their directions.

"Are we going to leave Robin, Ussop?" he asked, playing with his hat.

Ussop wished he could lie to Chopper.

-&&&-

Just out of the crow's nest reach, something had hovered noiselessly, looking almost transparent under the morning sun. Then it sped back, just as silent, back toward the beach, as the ship turned away. It flew right back into an upheld hand that crushed it into nothingness, save for a small amount of seawater that flowed down the dainty beautiful hand.

Dersha stared at ship in the distance. If Sanji had been here he would have been surprised; she had changed in every way. Her expression now was a fierce leader, no longer the prudent woman she was yesterday. Her stance spoke 'Touch me and die'. That crossbow cum gun she was holding seemed too heavy for one of her small stature, but she swung it with the ease of brandishing a dry twig.

She had heard every bit of the crews' discussions and even now the ship was fading into the horizon. "Dismissed," she said in a loud voice to the small army of musketeers. "I will give this to Lord Aramis. Second Flank?"

A chorus of male voice answered from her right. Their muskets clicked loudly in concert.

"Stay here in case they are stupid enough return. Notify me if this happens, immediately." That said, she turned again to the open sea, finally satisfied of the fact that Going Merry was really leaving the archipelago. No matter, she added in her mind. Should they return, Going Merry would have to be re-christened as Going Sinking in a heartbeat. "And fire at will if they do get that foolish."

Dersha let out a sinister laugh before she twirled daintily on her feet and walked off the beach onto the boardwalks that led back into the village. But instead of going there, she leapt off and walked toward the huge rock at the base of the hill. Dersha noted the slash marks on the rock and felt a faint twinge of discomfort in her being.

_That man had extremely sharp blades_, she thought. Good thing she had eliminated him yesterday. No one could have survived the shark-infested waters and Vampire's devastating properties. Yesterday she saw with her own eyes how the waters turn red as soon as the swordsman fell into the sea. Besides, if her gentle Vampire – that was what she called her weapon – failed to kill, it ensured a long, painful death. If that fails, too, the uncontrollable blood loss, seeping from his wounds, should have been enough to lure out the sharks.

But her Vampire had never failed before. That was assurance enough.

Dersha placed one hand over the rock. If Zoro had been more observant yesterday, he would have noticed amongst the slashes he had made, there were several distinct grooves and marks. They were no accidents, nor were they caused by ravages of time and tide. As Dersha's hand hovered over it, it cracked open and fell apart, but not ultimately. It hung, suspended in space by some unseen force as symbols began to materialize on the newly revealed surface. It was smooth where the symbols were not present and these symbols moved around, spinning and moving diagonally and horizontally, alive.

She removed her hand and placed her forehead over these random symbols. Almost immediately six symbols moved to the middle to meet her forehead. Dersha closed her eyes and let it happen.

-&&&-

"You're crazy," Robin said, her breaths coming out in fast gasps. "That's an impossible task, even for an archaeologist like me!"

"You mean," said another voice, more easygoing yet coldness rim each of his sentence, "you're unable to help Lord Aramis?"

"I _won't_ help him even if I could," she spat. Right now she sensed was strapped down on a device that smelt of rust and old blood. What strapped her feet and hands she could not know, for her head was tightly secured with a grimy leather helmet that also stank of sea and more blood. She could not move her head at all. Robin could not dare to imagine what had happened on this device.

A blinding flash of light caught her impaired senses unprepared and Robin could feel nothing for a fleeting sweet moment, then she realized that somehow, somewhere, her flesh was burning. She could not scream anymore; her throat had become dry long ago. From her mouth she retched out air and dry heaves. The helmet bit into her throat as she tried to lean forward. That painfully banished her retching.

"Your ventures has been quite legendary, Miss Robin," said her tormentor in that easygoing manner she slowly identified with her own style. Now she sympathized with the rest of the Straw Hat crew. This must be how she often sounded like to them; an ignorant, holier-than-thou speaker. "You graced the Wanted posters at a very young age, something rather remarkable for girls these days. Even the female pirate Aluvida did not get as much bounty as you did back then, and you still top her to this day. But enough of bounties."

She heard him move to behind her. "How many of the secret histories have you known?"

His whisper in her ear was like a lover enticing a virgin to her first romp. Robin closed her eyes. "How many, Robin? Don't tell me your joint-venture with Crocodile was a wasted effort. I heard you learnt a lot from that one."

"I learnt nothing," Robin replied, swallowing some saliva to lubricate her parched, thirsty throat. "There was nothing. It was only a block of stone containing the full history of Arabasta. Nothing else." _How did he know about the secret histories?_

The skin on her face sensed something moving close to her there. She began to struggle violently. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously. "I told you I know nothing! There was nothing in Arabasta! Written on it were history of the first kings and kingdom! That's all! Dammit, stop this!"

Her skin felt the dreaded familiar warmth and it flooded her again, blinding her again. Robin screamed and screamed, but it was lost inside the damp caves, turning into a despairing sigh as it escaped outside through hidden cracks.

-&&&-

It was a fair day throughout, Nami had predicted earlier that day, and so Going Merry was anchored close to a small sandbank. It was kind of weird because sandbanks normally occur close to huge pieces of landmass or an island, but there was none in sight. Sanji and Ussop had gone down to check with Ussop's submersible barrel and found nothing abnormal.

"You're sure it's not some kind of a sleeping sea monster? Those creatures can sleep for up to ten years, and sometimes it accumulates sands on its back. That becomes a temporary landmass."

Sanji waved Nami's concerns aside. "Nothing funny about it," he grinned. "It's probably a result of an underground volcanic activity. Seems pretty old, too." He heaved out of the submersible barrel a chunk of twisted, black rock. On it an imprint of a sole was evident. "As a proof for my lovely navigator, here's a gift from the seabed."

He bowed graciously as Nami cheered and sat on her knees on the deck. She began scrutinizing the rock as Sanji sat down beside her, listening to her explanations on the rock.

"Ussop, everything's all right down there?" Zoro asked.

"Uh-huh. It's just as Sanji said. We can safely anchor here. Chopper!"

"Already done!" came his voice from below. Moments later a rumble could be heard as the anchor hit the seabed.

"We're in open seas and there's a shallow spot. There's no ending to the weirdness of Grand Line," Zoro remarked.

"It is," Ussop said. "As we descended, the air got hotter and so was the seawater. There were few or no fish, too. Only the occasional turtles and some kelp. Though a few rare schools of fish passed by –"

Zoro nodded nonchalantly as Ussop went on with his lies. He was actually thinking of Luffy. He had been sitting on the ram's head, awfully silent since their departure from Suppha. After he had emerged from Nami's room, he had kept everything to himself, and so did Nami. What had they talked about in the room?

-&&&-

The day moved on slowly. If it had feet, it was dragging its feet in the sands of time like a starved traveller. Zoro had finished lifting a huge steel mallet for six rounds (each round lasted for 300 lifts), and before that he was practicing his latest move, but it seemed to be fruitless.

Nami had retreated to her room to 'complete last night's job' quite a while ago, as Sanji once in a while sneaked into the galley, preparing lunch. Ussop and Chopper were sitting on the deck, still boasting about his adventures under the sea while tinkering with some pinball as Chopper gaped and cooed. It was a strange kind of calmness, knowing that one of the crew was kidnapped and yet doing nothing about it.

The door to Nami's room opened and she stretched like a lazy cat. "It's done," she whispered. Zoro itched to know what was that she had done. Instead, he decided to keep silent but then, he heard Luffy's voice. Without turning to them he asked:

"Nami, how's your log pose?"

She glanced at her wrist. "It still points back to Suppha Island. We didn't stop long enough for it to settle and point to the next island."

"Good."

"Why?" Ussop asked.

"Don't tell me." That was Zoro. "You're planning to save Robin."

This time Luffy did turn. "I won't leave a single one of my crew behind." His sombre expression gave way to the usual grin that was his trademark. "Even if it's Robin."

Zoro cracked his lopsided smile. Chopper hugged Ussop while Sanji, standing at the galley door, took a long drag at his cigarette and grinned. Nami shrugged. "All's well, then. But do you have a plan?"

With great confidence, Luffy answered:

"No."

* * *

_I hate to be cruel, but yes, it's to be continued… please review! Or ask questions! Or give criticism! Whatever you may want to call it! I will try to answer them to my best knowledge._


	5. Brag Men and Wonson Howke

_Author's note:_

_This chapter – indeed, this story – has been in the slowest gestation ever. I have never written anything much for the past three years, due to major changes in my life. I now am no longer a student; I am a working adult (sigh) and too much work stops my creative juices cold. But recently I caught up with the series again, and the gears in my head start to come to life. I am writing for the story's sake, but if you're a thoughtful reader, do leave your opinions when you're done. Criticism and praises are the same: they're what makes a writer tick and pushes him to write more. Okay, so here we go!_

--

Robin stared around her dark, dank prison. It was not a prison in the physical sense - she could walk around, move about - but she was effectively cut off from outside by these thick walls of stone. The darkness was not complete - she could still see about her, and she could still see her hands. Robin shuddered and, after finding a corner among the rocky wall, sat down and hugged her feet, her head between her legs. The pain in her head lessened somewhat.

She felt tired, drained. Although her fingers had stopped shaking a few hours before, there was something inside her mind that felt absolutely helpless. In here, her power was suffocated somehow. Robin tried it before, but it only managed to drain her energies, and she had been forced to retire immediately to her sleeping spot, which was a proper hardboard bed and mattress. On the left side, there was a side table with a thick book lying on it.

She tried to recall the basic Ancient Words, visualising them in her brains. It used to calm her down, but now, simply thinking of the various forms made her very brain ache. And it was no ordinary ache: it felt like little needles being stuck at the most important points of her brains every time she tried to visualise the words.

"What have they done to me?" she asked, her voice hoarse; her speech almost incoherent. She was not even sure whether the words that she had just said were correct. "They can't - can't do this to me - it's wrong - I need my knowledge to read - the Ancient Histories -"

From a hidden alcove, a figure stirred, and moved toward her.

--

Nami found herself drawn into the maps that Luffy had brought aboard. It was amazingly detailed with small notes on climate variations, little things like the flora and fauna, the occasional sea monsters (whether purely for illustrative purposes or not Nami chose not to speculate); and cities, towns, even little hamlets marked in circles that increase in size to denote their importance. She could hear the ruckus outside - they were planning on how to attack Suppha Islanders. From what she had heard, their plans consisted of fine black pepper, chilli sauce, a strange plan that involved a dirigible - by then Nami had ceased listening to it all.

"Fascinating," Nami said to herself for the umpteenth time. She could stay in for days, not going out, become immersed in this map. Although the map legend used was rather uncommon, Nami slowly figured out most of them. "Why was this map stowed away? It's a complete masterpiece!" Then Robin's words appeared in her mind: '...they're all over the place because no one has use of them...'

She looked outside through a small round window. It was twilight. The sunset would have been romantic under different circumstances, with its orange streaks colouring the sky and blood red at the horizon. What little space her window provided was filled with the lavish display. Nami closed her eyes. If Zoro's words were true, it had been Robin's second day of capture. She never liked Robin very much. Nami always viewed her as a rival, in more ways than one. She was smarter, more mature and - let's face it, Robin had a better body shape than hers. That was enough to turn her green with envy. But after months of sailing together and going through so much, Nami felt a twinge of connection, one she never felt since leaving Cocoyashi.

Blinking back the tears, Nami rose on her bed, now seated. The thought of Bellemere often made tears spring in her eyes. She smiled, now knowing that her home was now safe and she was doing what she loved the most: map-making.

She leant back, stretched, and through her tears-sheened eyes, realised that a secret had been staring back at her after all these while.

In response, she could only let out a small 'Huh?'

--

"Nami's got something to announce," Sanji said as he pushed Luffy into the galley, who had a half-masticated ham sandwich in his maw. It used to sicken him, but now Sanji realised that was Luffy's way of appreciating food. "Go in."

"Are we going to have late night supper?" Luffy asked, finally swallowing the remainder of the sandwich. "Because if we do, I want steak again. With black pepper sauce and everything on it."

"Dream on," Sanji mumbled.

Luffy found himself seated in between Ussop and Zoro, who were eyeing a heap of familiar-looking papers. "Hey, those are the maps I found before! Have you found a treasure map, Nami? Have you? Have you?"

Chopper's eyes shone; they were wide as saucers. "Treasure?" Ussop asked. "What treasure? Where?"

Only Zoro stayed silent. He might still be feeling the pain from his wound.

Nami shook her head, much to the disappointment of Luffy, Chopper and Ussop. "But what I've discovered is worth more than any treasure you can imagine. In fact, it's priceless." She took one of the maps, laid it out on the table, took another one, did the same, and so on until there were six pieces of the maps laid either side-by-side or over each other. "Take a good look at that, everyone," she said triumphantly.

The four men and one creature stared at the papers. "What are we supposed to look at?" Luffy asked, spilling crumbs of the sandwich all over the maps. Some of his saliva also got splattered on the maps. Horrified, Nami quickly brushed him aside. "Hey, I wasn't finished..."

Chopper, the sharper tool in this Going Merry shed, had his eyebrows furrowed. "That seems pretty familiar..." his voice trailed off.

"What is?" Ussop leant forward.

"Everything," said Sanji, who was also leaning forward. His voice had a bewildered tone in it.

Zoro said with that firm, confident voice: "Of course it is. Nami?"

Nami gave them all a winning smile, a smile that was meant to dazzle. Ussop inwardly winced, because he had seen her smile like that before she went on to beat the life out of some leering pirate at a previous island. If he remembered it correctly, that unfortunate soul had commented on her fashion sense.

"Ussop?"

"Yes?" It was more like a whimper. "I did not peek into your room last night!"

Nami raised one amused brow. "Not exactly the answer I wanted, but thank you for that anyway. Actually I want to know whether you still remember the remains of a man we found the other day."

"That dead man?" Ussop's mind spun. "Of course I do. How can I not? You cursed me by putting a dead man's stuff inside my bag! Now I can no longer shoot as true as I used to!" Ussop was almost at tears. "I can't even snipe at Chopper's hat at two feet..."

"Nonsense! You're not cursed, stupid. You ate that sake cake Sanji gave around last night, of course your aim is off." She pulled out a bag from beneath the table and gave it to Ussop. "Here's a new bag to replace the one I used."

With that bribe, Ussop was more than happy. Nami resumed her announcement:

"I have solved the mystery behind these maps and the identity of this writer. But first, have you ever heard of the Great Journey?"

Five heads shook in the negative. Nami sighed theatrically. "Okay, I'll explain. There was this legend going around in Grand Line about an expedition, made hundreds of years ago, inside the Grand Line. The expedition, besides looking for new riches, was to map the entire Grand Line."

Luffy snorted. "That's a legend, right? So it can't be real."

"Nothing is impossible in Grand Line, Luffy. You of all people should know that," Nami chastised him. Sanji wagged his finger at Luffy while the latter sulked. "Anyway, the legend goes that the expedition managed to map the Grand Line completely."

Silence had settled on the group. They were all watching her carefully.

"There were five members of this expedition. The names vary from place to place, but two names remain constant: Mon Potience and Wonson Howke. Mon Potience was the leader of this expedition while Wonson Howke was the expedition's Cartographer. However, when the journey came to a close, the Blank Century had begun. The story began to vary from this point on. Some versions claimed there were cornered by those who laid to foundation the present Government, and in a last-ditch effort to escape, left their discoveries onboard their ships. The Government laid claim on the ships, sail and all."

Zoro's eyes widened. "Ships? How many were there?"

Nami could only shrug. "There could have been as little as three or as many as ten or more. Why?"

"Imagine how much knowledge they might have amassed, that it took several ships to contain it." Zoro sat back and reflected. "Heck, they could have found a better way to forge a katana..."

"Other version of the story claimed that they were betrayed by one of their own, who sold them out to the very people who - you guessed it, founded the current World Government. In exchange of his/her life, treasures of all sorts were surrendered, and Mon Potience was hanged to death."

"Wait a minute!" Ussop remarked, standing up all of a sudden that he knocked off his chair and surprised the rest of the crew. "No wonder this is familiar! Any of you ever heard of Brag Men?"

The men shook their head. Luffy asked: "Is that a new way of cooking steak?"

A resounding 'NO' came.

"The books (actually a series) were all about adventures of men in the Grand Line! Brave and wonderful men! I read it when I was small, and they became my most beloved books!" He sighed most sentimentally. "And most of what Nami had told us was almost similar to their adventures! In one book they defeated th-"

"What about the others?" Chopper asked, completely ignoring Ussop, almost breathless with excitement. "His loyal crews won't leave his death unavanged, right?"

"Not much was known of the rest of the crew members, even the betrayer. They all were assumed died, either by persecution or simply of old age in some backwater islands or towns. However, after the Blank Century had passed, and after the World Government had barely spread its fledgling reign, stories began to crop up all over Grand Line. Be reminded that what I am going to tell you are no legends, or perpetuated by old maids; instead, they were written by junior members of the Marines who systematically logged their journeys and wrote down everything in their diaries. I read them yesterday and discovered these."

Chopper turned to Sanji, who was giving Nami admiring looks that went ignored. "How does she manage to finish lots of books in one sitting?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sanji smiled appreciatively, "but she looks hot whenever she is so into something."

Nami went on:

"In their journeys to spread the propaganda of the World Government, they had brought along maps to show how knowledgeable this new rule was. However, what they got was ignorance and sometimes even jeers."

"I thought Marines were feared," Luffy said, his hand on his chin. "Not that I fear them, though." He made a face.

"Well, Luffy, apparently the maps that these Marines brought turned out to be obsolete and useless. Sure, they were rather accurate, but almost on each island that they stopped, they found out, to their irritation, the people had had already got maps, and of a better version. Since the World Government was relatively young back then, they knew it was better to use gentle persuasion instead of brute force, and they found out the creator of these maps almost by luck - one of the maps they found in an island named Higa contained a name."

Nami looked around her and was thrilled by the expectant looks on the faces. "Well?!" they all chorused.

"It was simply - 'One Who Knows'. And look here," she said, producing one of the maps Luffy had found earlier and pointed to a corner of the yellowed paper. "Can you read the signature?"

Ussop, armed with a massive magnifying glass that seemed to come out of nowhere, took the paper and focused the glass at the corner. His eyes widened. "Nami! It's 'One Who Knows'! Does that mean he was here too?"

"Looking at the amount of these maps, I'd say he was here! Imagine how much time it took for him to complete this... amazing." She began laying out the maps on the table, a 3 by 4. When she was done, she stood up and asked: "Can you guys tell me what is this?"

Luffy, Sanji and Ussop looked at the small maps, and amazingly it was Luffy who exclaimed first: "Nami! Can it be the maps for Suppha Isles?!"

Even Nami was taken aback for one moment. "Luffy! How did you manage to come to that conclusion?"

"Hey, remember I flew over the island the other day before I landed on your tangerines, so of course I saw the whole island from above. No wonder it looks so familiar..."

"Okay," Nami said, then pulling back the maps before replacing them with more maps. "And these?"

Sanji was the first to remark: "That looks like the broken part of Skypiea!"

Nami pointed at one part of the map. "Notice this? It says that the map was drawn 20 years ago. And there is also a small note here that says: 'I have seen the other part of Skypiea, but had no means to get there.'"

Ussop was agape. "Then – this guy must be very cool! Nobody else would have known about that, right? Unless those scavenging Monkeys told him about the legend."

Zoro turned to Nami. "What are you trying to say, Nami?" His voice had gotten even and cool, a sign he was taking things seriously.

Nami gave her most brilliant smile yet, and said with a flourish:

"Gentlemen, the heap of maps you see here are actually the _full map of Grand Line, _drawn by no other than _Wonson Howke_. It contains not only the location of places we've been before, it also contains the exact bearings, safe routes, climate changes, notes on the towns, islands and countries. In fact, it is a veritable Atlas."

"But you said the name of the person who drew these maps was simply _One Who Knows_," Luffy said. "Now I'm confused…"

Chopper came to Luffy's rescue. He held up on hoof to stall Luffy's train of thoughts. "Luffy, I think it _is_ the same person."

"Huh?"

"See, Mr Howke's name and One Who Knows is actually the same. Let me write that down."

Wonson Howke

One Who Knows

"You see!" Chopper said excitedly. "When you rearrange Mr Howke's name, it will become One Who Knows, and vice versa!"

"It's an anagram," Sanji exclaimed. "So that means Mr Howke and One Who Knows is one and the same person. I guess he just doesn't want to be known, then. But tell me this, Nami."

"Yes?"

"If you're right, and these maps are made by Wonson Howke, how old do you reckon he is? Because from the time of the Blank Century until the present, that would have been – what, seven, eight hundred years?"

For a time, Nami was stumped.


End file.
